Timing of palliative care: When to call for a palliative care consult

Cary Jo R Schlick, David J Bentrem

Journal of Surgical Oncology 2019, 120 (1): 30-34

31102469

Palliative care, unlike hospice, can be utilized concurrently with disease-modifying or curative therapies. Some of the benefits of palliative care include improved quality of life, less end-of-life treatment, and decreased medical costs. Furthermore, palliative care can help guide treatment decisions to be in line with patients' physical, psychological, and spiritual needs. On the basis of these benefits, we advocate for palliative care involvement early in the course of advanced malignancy and other terminal diagnoses.